First vote

Coy Glen Road
looked steep that day
in November of 1935,
as the black 1931 Dodge
rolled slowly down
hill to the Polling Place.

I knew we were going
there to vote. It must have
been a Tuesday, and I was
four years old. Inside, my
parents stopped at a table,
then disappeared.

The lady seated behind
the table leaned forward.
Hello there, would you
like to vote too? Oh yes,
I replied. She pointed to
a small black machine next
to her. Who would you like

to vote for, she asked,
Mr. Landon or Mr. Roosevelt?
Mr. Roosevelt, I said so firmly
some people turned to look.
Then pull this lever down.
I did and heard a bell ring.
The bell means you voted, she said.

I felt puffed up and proud
as the 1931 Dodge climbed
slowly back up Coy Glen Road.
I had voted for the first time!
When I got home, I told my
little brother, who was two.
He didn’t say anything. I think
he was already a Republican.

– Joyce Holmes McAllister